PREPARATION

Fresh Mushrooms

All fresh mushrooms upon receiving should be kept refrigerated preferably in a brown paper bag to keep them from drying out too excessively. We suggest washing all wild mushrooms but some varieties especially during dry times of year can be simply brushed off with a pastry brush. For washing we suggest submerging in a bowl of water, sloshing them around to help remove any debris, then removing from water and putting in a strainer to remove excessive liquid. Thereafter it is good to let them air dry completely before preparing. This process should only be done day of cooking to retain their freshness. Most wild mushrooms should be used within 3 days but some varieties like chanterelle and hedgehogs how longer shelf lives.

Dried Mushrooms

To reconstitute dried mushrooms, pour simmering water to just cover the mushrooms and let sit for 15-30 minutes. This is best done by barely covering the dried mushrooms with the water, cover with saran wrap(this helps with steaming) and letting it sit and rehydrate for 15 to 30 minutes. You can save the liquid once straining out the mushrooms as a stock, but is best used after pouring through coffee filter or a fine sieve to remove any grit.

RECIPES

Christina Choi, she was not only my business partner who helped me start this mission in wild food I have embarked upon but also my best friend. Someone who always made my journeys that much easier as she cooked endless meals before hand and when I returned, showed me how diverse all these products could be, and just made me smile so much more. There is no way I can ever express how thankful I am for having her be a part of all this and introduce so much of what we do to so many people. As we grew and I would tell her new things I would find, she demanded me to bring them home. And with them we expanded what we sold as we learned what wild foods were culinarily fit. Her knack with ingredients was inspiring, as well the true passion she had for everything wild. So here we share some recipes she developed and hope if you never were able to enjoy her food at one of the restaurants she cooked at or at the table of her own kitchen enjoy and spread the love that she embodied.